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Comic: Trump’s “Build a Wall” Scheme
Month: September 2019
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Comic: Gamestop is the new Blockbuster
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Trump, Hurricane Dorian
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Disney Remaking Trend
For the past few years, Walt Disney Productions has embarked on the difficult task of remaking their classic animated movies to live action features. This is not the first time Disney dipped into live action movies; we saw this in 1996 with the live action version of 101 Dalmatians.
In 2014, Disney began to remake their most classic movies. They began with Maleficent, a new take on the Disney princess movie Sleeping Beauty. In this movie, the protagonist was Maleficent, not Aurora. This allowed us to see a new view of this age old tale. While it followed the main plot of Sleeping Beauty, creators tweaked details, making it a new movie itself not just a live action remake.
In 2015, Disney came out with the live action remake of Cinderella that brought a new perspective on the story. The animated classic of Cinderella came out in 1950, and 65 years later this story returned to screens. This movie did not contain all the same songs, and it introduced a new song to the story, the old English folk song “Lavender Blue.” We saw a beautiful new take on the gorgeous princess dress. When watching this movie, I was overcome with a sense of wonderment, and, most importantly, I did not feel like I was watching the same movie.
Two years after these successful movies were released, Disney came out with the live action Beauty and the Beast. In my opinion, this movie was a huge disappointment. The dress was a horrid, dull yellow and was in no way a ball gown for the time period being portrayed. In other words, it did not do the animated dress justice.
It contained all the same songs and the script was almost exactly the same as the original. I felt I was watching the same movie and preferred the original, animated version. This is no discredit to the actors in this movie; they did a great job. However, I felt that having Emma Watson as “Belle” was a bad decision, because our generation will always see her as the iconic character “Hermione Granger” from the Harry Potter series. It was hard for me to see her as Belle and not a time traveling Hermione Granger. So, I would classify this movie as a remake, and, compared to the original, it was not well done.
There is a reason classics are called classics. Almost everyone knows these movies, making it a very difficult task to remake them. However, it does not look like Disney will be backing down any time soon. A live action version of The Lion King just came out, and Mulan will be coming out this year with many others in the near future. I am not opposed to the idea of remaking a classic, I just warn Disney do their best work because these classics deserve nothing short of the best.
Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) has passed the Reimagine School Safety Act, a $1.4 million proposal that reduced the number of Student Resource Officers (SROs) in the district going into the 2019-2020 school year.
The district has reduced the number of SROs from eight officers to three and has employed a police sergeant to monitor each school’s designated areas and a safety director for each campus.
This plan aims to increase training on implicit bias and mental health support for not only officers but also staff and campus monitors. Through this, SCUSD is attempting to create a more positive campus environment for students.
However, many are skeptical that this training will be effective or thorough enough due to the district’s lack of money.
SCUSD states that it has made this decision not only to save money, but also to accommodate the needs of the students and community activists who feel unsafe and uncomfortable with the officers. But, it is unusual that this plan is only now being revised after nine years of it being in place and right after the news of SCUSD’s financial troubles have surfaced.
The district has had an agreement with the Sacramento Police Department for the past nine years. The Police Dept. provides SROs to ensure safety on campuses by stopping fights, responding to threats, etc.
Many student organizations, such as CKM’s Brown Issues, have been pushing for this action, claiming that the money going towards the officers even with the reduction can be put to better use.
“The money should be going to different fundings like more counselors and social workers here,” said Xavier Muñoz, president of McClatchy’s Brown Issues. “School is a different environment than home, and when kids come to school they should have a safe space.”
Many also say the officers make students of color feel unsafe. Officers have had a history of treating people of color with bias, and having their presence on campus can make students uncomfortable. The school-to-prison pipeline describes how schools can push students, often those of color, from disadvantaged backgrounds into law enforcement through their disciplinary policies.
“I know some students here see a cop and have that in the back of their minds,” said Muñoz. With regard to the amount of SROs being reduced, he said, “I think that some students will be relieved and maybe some other students will be stressed, so it’s the students’ point of view and what they believe in.”
However, many school administrators believe that the SROs provide comfort and protection for the students, especially with the rising threat of gun violence in schools. McClatchy has had multiple gun threats and bomb threats in past years, including a threat this year at the safety assembly. People are afraid that, with the increased number of mass shootings, officers would not be able to respond quickly enough if one did occur.
Administrators also feel that SROs made school atmosphere more comfortable for students by creating good relationships with them.
“SROs provided extra resources, services, and opportunities for students at the schools they served,” said Assistant Principal Martin. “Not having SROs definitely makes my job more challenging. However, sometimes we need to accept the decisions that are being made above us because we don’t always have access to all of the information needed to fully understand it.”
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Taylor Swift’s Lover Album
Taylor Swift released her seventh album, Lover, on August 23, 2019.
An album consisting of 18 songs and 61 minutes, Lover returns to the electro-pop style that Swift had established in previous albums, Reputation and 1989. However, she has changed her image from the “dark” Taylor Swift that ruled Reputation to a new, softer version.
True to her past, Swift continues to write songs based off of her relationships. This time, the love songs are about her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, an English actor. They’ve been together for almost three years.
The new album started with the release of “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie on April 26, and “You Need to Calm Down” on June 14. Hearing these songs before the rest of the album, there was not much enthusiasm for its release. The songs sounded as if they were released from a wannabe-empowering Disney channel movie.
“You Need to Calm Down” was made in support of the LGBTQ+ community, and the video features many people from the community and mocks anti-LGBTQ+ protesters. The music and lyrics aren’t amazing, but it’s always wonderful to see influential artists who appeal to the younger population normalizing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Many fans were ecstatic with Swift’s first open show of support, but critics painted her as exploiting the community for money. The video also shows Katy Perry for literally no other reason than to demonstrate that their feud had ended.
“ME!” with Brendon Urie is loud and confusing, accompanied by a video with terrible acting. Some fans are awed by beautiful visuals, but most think that there’s too much happening to appreciate them fully. At one point in the song, “Spelling is fun!” is yelled out before they start singing about how “awesome” they are, which does not belong in a song in the seventh album of a 29-year-old.
But while “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down” were disappointing at best, the rest of Lover made up for them.
Swift’s voice was the best it has ever been in this album, and the music was, as usual, extremely catchy. The only downside to the album was its mediocre lyrics.
Her songs ranged from ones of social commentary to cute love songs to bittersweet nostalgic ones. She even returns to her country roots–something she hasn’t done since her Red album–and collaborates with the Dixie Chicks in “Soon You’ll Get Better.”
In “Soon You’ll Get Better,” Swift sings about her mother’s battle with cancer. She says that the song was “really, really hard to write.” Her mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and is now fighting it for a second time.
In “The Man,” Swift attempts to speak out about feminism and how though she is very successful, she is always put behind men. While in theory it sends out a good message, its execution and lyrics are cringe-worthy and not well-thought out.
“If I was out flashin’ my dollas I’d be a b***h, not a baller” is one of the lines–empowering, sure, but at the same time, hearing a pop song that says “dolla” and “baller” gives me second-hand embarrassment.
“Lover,” the namesake of the album, is about Alwyn. The music is soft and slow, the lyrics basic, but it manages to invoke a feeling of the calm relationship and longing that she seems to feel for her significant other. However, the music video is a charade of love, attempting to encapsulate a relationship with horrible acting.
“Paper Rings” is also about Alwyn. But unlike “Lover,” it’s fast-paced, excited, and completely adorable. In it, Swift sings of how she would give up her materialism and love of “shiny things” just to be with Alwyn. A cute little song that you can’t help but smile to, it’s love at its finest–happy and unfiltered and sweet.
Swift’s amazing voice and catchy music can almost make up for the fact that her lyrics are, for the most part, childish and poorly-developed. So while Lover may not have the most depth or lyrical genius, it’s worth listening to and perfect if you’re looking for songs to sing in the shower or scream out of an open car window.
A new tone is being set within the Associated Student Body at McClatchy High School as students seek to turn away from a prior culture of permissiveness and advisor mismanagement.
While students initially enjoyed the hands-off approach of the class’ previous ASB advisor, Jonathan Hubbard, questions were raised last year when Hubbard unexpectedly became absent from school around mid-October. His whereabouts were unknown, and his status of employment unclear.
Students involved in ASB were frustrated with what they viewed as Hubbard’s unprofessional behavior, as they no longer had a permanent advisor.
Even with Hubbard present, students felt as though there was a lack of administrative structure. Class started at 7:18, but students weren’t expected to show up until at least 7:30. Multiple students missed zero period and were still marked present since there was no official teacher to take role.
This lack of teaching did more than just allow students to show up late; it also affected the school year. Since ASB is a leadership class in charge of overseeing most of the events and activities at McClatchy, organization of fundraisers, dances, rallies suffered as the students struggled to manage them without the support and oversight of Hubbard.
Towards the end of the school year, ASB received a long-term substitute for the class. D.T. Martin, who teaches within the Law and Public Policy Academy at McClatchy, took on the responsibility as ASB advisor. With his help and commitment, students and council members this year are able to begin restoring ASB’s rigor, creating a classroom-like setting, and moving beyond its prior reputation.
New changes have already been made as to the expectations board members hold for their students. D.T. Martin and the board members are making sure students in the class are participating and contributing. Instead of acting like a study hall period, ASB has transformed into a class that allows students to become active and involved in their high school experience by making each year the best possible.
ASB board members are instilling discipline this year with the hopes that they can use this class to boost spirit and morale within McClatchy, as well as provide students with a fun learning environment that allows them to succeed.
At the beginning of the school year, McClatchy’s staff was missing some familiar faces but was filled with new ones as well. One of those included Ms. Calvert, CKM’s new drama teacher.
Ms. Calvert grew up in southern California and has been in the entertainment industry since she was a young age. “My parents put me in dance lessons when I was really young, so I’ve been performing for a long time and I’m really comfortable doing it,” says Calvert on the topic. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach, where she created a still expanding theater company with college friends called the Garage Theatre.
After moving to Sacramento 15 years ago, Ms. Calvert began teaching, first at Sac High and then at Hiram Johnson. “I just found that I like teaching drama more than I like doing drama.” With passion for English as well, she found a true love for educating. She is currently working toward getting her masters in education, specifically in language and literacy, at Sac State.
During her 11 years at Johnson, Calvert worked to create a drama program, but because the process was quite difficult, she began to look for other positions. Mrs. Morrison, head of CKM’s Vapa Department, was able to help get her a job here at McClatchy. “I give her a lot of credit for making sure that I ended up here to do this work, and I’m super grateful,” says Calvert. She now teaches drama, AP Literature, and Freshman English.
Calvert holds a unique teaching philosophy: she does not believe that points have much to do with learning. “I have a labor-based grading policy in my class, which means I base your grade on the amount of work you put in.” Her approach focuses on what she calls “learning authentically”. She ultimately gives her students the option on how they want to be graded, realizing that “schools program kids in a certain way.”
Her goal for McClatchy’s drama program is to “take our high school production model and make it look closer to how a professional model might look.” Calvert is in awe of the amount of resources she now has, but is looking to improve scheduling and efficiency. Upcoming productions include, but are not limited to, the Haunted Theatre and Diary of Anne Frank.
Ms. Calvert expressed her enthusiasm and said, “I do know that with the passion and talent we have from all the kids, it’s going to be awesome.”
It’s not easy to be a politically active high-schooler. The combination of age restrictions and a general lack of autonomy leave many kids out of the loop, uninvolved. However, In early July of this year, hundreds of McClatchy students reacted on social media after news broke about widespread starvation in Sudan. Instability has plagued the country for years, but the situation recently escalated between police and protestors, leaving 37 dead and drawing overdue global attention to the crisis in Sudan.
Many Americans first heard of the situation in Sudan via social media. In fact, a recent PEW Research Poll concluded that 36% of young Americans use social media as their primary news source. News of the conditions in Sudan quickly trended on Twitter, with over 2 million users posting with the #Sudan in under a month. Millions of Instagram users took the opportunity to change their profile pictures to a plain, blue flag, a symbol of solidarity with those in Sudan.
In only a week, tens of thousands of Instagram accounts dedicated to providing aid to Sudan were established. Several of these accounts gained substantial support, such as “@sudanmealproject,” which reached over 400,000 followers in a single week. The account contained only one post, a plain blue background with white words: “For every person who follows and shares this on their story, we will donate a meal to starving Sudanese children.”
That statement may seem familiar – it was reposted by hundreds of McClatchy students, and appeared over a million separate times on Instagram alone. Not surprisingly, Instagram users jumped on the opportunity to do their part for the crisis in Yemen, reposting without second thought.
While this may seem benign, it is far from harmless. Like countless other accounts created in the wake of the crisis, Sudan Meal Project was fake. There is no evidence that any donations were made by the “organization,” let alone the millions they pledged to the users of Instagram.
While the account was shut down within three weeks of establishment, thousands more fake accounts continue to profit off of the crisis via publicity gained from similar posts. Estimates as to the number of fake Instagram accounts range from 70-100 million, producing billions of individual posts annually. While many of these are likely harmless, the popularity of the Sudan Meal Project illustrates the necessity of thinking critically about the content we share.
The Sudan Meal Project commodified a very real crisis for millions of people – it turned famine and violence into social tokens to be traded on the digital marketplace. Additionally, the account gave millions of reposters the illusion of helping out those in need while doing nothing to materially improve conditions in Sudan.
The last decade has seen a steady rise in the amount of political content on social media, as many users have operationalized personal accounts to spread information to followers. While this certainly has helped to mobilize some users, it is worth considering whether or not consciousness raising is enough in the digital age.
Furthermore, it is essential that we not allow, “information sharing,” “consciousness raising,” fake charities, and the litany of other content available act as a palliative for more substantive political demands. Reposting does not help those in Sudan, but it does act as a vehicle for users to feel like they have done their part – for only one post a day, you can end a famine! Real activism is hard and slow work, and an effective consciousness must be paired with honest and concrete demands which are missing from much social media activism.
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K-12, An “Eerily Enchanting” Album
Melanie Martinez’s album, K-12, was released on September 6th, 2019, at the beginning of the school year. Instead of releasing music videos with the album, she directed and produced a full length feature film with her new album.
As a follower of Melanie Martinez since her days on the television competition, The Voice, I have always been infatuated with her style of music and the way she presents herself.
The album consists of thirteen tracks and is a total length of about forty-six minutes. The songs tackle real-life situations that not many artists today would begin to talk about, such as bullying, sexual assault, and how authorities abuse their power for personal gain.
Martinez’s ambition for her sophomore album was to make sure her target listeners, a majority teenage demographic, will be able to relate to the songs in their day-to-day life and that her message will help her listeners to cope with struggles of their own.
Prior to K-12, her debut album, Cry Baby, follows the main character of the same name, through her life within her dysfunctional family and sexual assault. K-12 follows “Cry Baby” throughout her experience at school, which is taken over by drugged up authorities, details the mistreatment she faces at their hands.
The Principal is a song about how authorities abuse their power in order to benefit themselves. It goes into depth about how authorities do not care about how students and that they’re all money-seeking. The rhythm makes it one of the catchiest songs on the album, but it lacks the vocal power that I think she’s capable of and should have included.
The seventh track, Strawberry Shortcake, details issues dealing with clothing and how girls are reprimanded for what they wear, making them uncomfortable with their bodies. Martinez implicitly remarks that boys can get away with their actions just because they’re boys. Overall, the message is highly relevant to our society and calls out the power dynamic of the sexes.
Lunchbox Friends is the following track. Martinez sings about fake friends and bullying. I feel like this song is definitely relatable to our society because we all want to live up to social expectations. The song captures an R&B rhythm, which is refreshing from her usually alternative stye.
A lack-luster song off the album is most definitely Recess. Although the song chimes about not letting people step over you, I genuinely believe that the song is very slow and doesn’t give a wow-factor for being the last song on the album. I do think her use of falsettos and range added interesting f vocal depth, but as a whole, the song is pretty bland and doesn’t give enough as her last track.
Overall, this album has a lot of masterpieces. I think that for people who want a refreshing sound, this album is definitely the way to go. Listeners of Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish will appreciate Martinez’s work. Her ability to break away from cookie-cutter boxes makes her definitely one-of a kind.